Shades of Gray
by That Buggy Girl
Summary: Ren is terrified of a man who abuses her and belittles her every chance he gets. Her neighbors are sympathetic and worry about her, but how are they supposed to help her when she keeps turning them away? (AU; DISCONTINUED)
1. Prologue

"There is no black and white. Only shades of gray." -Dorothy Catalonia

***

It was a dreary December morning. Slush littered the streets and sidewalks, melting, leaving scummy puddles. Somewhere there could be heard the sound of car horns blaring and profanities being exchanged by the drivers of the cars. The sun was making a pathetic attempt to break through the clouds, all to no avail.

Nanashi Ren wrapped her coat tighter around her shoulders, wincing in pain as the heavy material pressed against a bruise on her upper forearm. She exhaled, silently cursing the bastard who had given her the bruise. Her life was going to change. No more would she stand for his abuse.

"Good morning, Ren."

She looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. Himura Kaoru was hurry to catch up to her, slightly out of breath, her small son in her arms. Ren could hardly see little Kenji's face; his mother had him tightly bundled up against the bleary winter weather.

"Morning Kaoru." Ren muttered. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, trying to warm them.

"What happened to your gloves? Where's your hat? It's freezing out here." Kaoru, ever the mother, chided her.

"Lost them." She shrugged.

"And what on earth happened to your face? Your lip is all busted up."

Ren stopped walking and looked at the other woman. "Look at me, Kaoru. What am I doing wrong with my life?"

Kaoru studied Ren for a moment, taking in her frightened, hazel eyes; the wild tangle of dull brown hair which framed her broken face. A split lip, a black eye and a million hidden sorrows could be seen on the young woman's face. "He was back yesterday, wasn't he?"

"I've been telling Sanosuke my lock needs to be fixed. He hasn't done it yet. That's why I look like I've been beaten by a two-by-four. He's not a very good super."

"I'll have Kenshin talk to him." She sighed, "If any one can get through to that lunk-head, it'll be Kenshin. And you should come upstairs next time. That looks nasty. I could have taken care of it for you."

"I'll be fine. And you've got Kenji to worry about anyway."

"You can't go to work like that."

"I know. I'm not. I'm going to see a lawyer about a restraining order on him. I won't be afraid any more. I want to move on with my life."

"Good for you, Ren." Kaoru smiled, shifting Kenji in her arms, "So I guess I'll see later in the evening then. I've got to get Kenji to daycare. Good luck."

"See ya, Kaoru. Bye Kenji."

"Bye-bye!" Kenji chirped cheerfully.

Ren picked up the pace again as she and Kaoru parted ways. She hated walking the city streets alone, knowing he was out there, somewhere, waiting, watching; his fingers itching to wrap around her neck.

She paused for a moment, looking at her pathetic reflection in the dingy window of a small art gallery. _Why did this happen to me? Where did I go wrong in my life? Am I truly such a loser?_

"Hey, you like that painting?"

She jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder, whirling around to slap the perpetrator in the face.

"A simple 'no' would have been fine."

Her hands went up to her mouth as she realized what she'd done. "I'm so sorry." She stammered. Her gaze wandered up to meet the turquoise eyes of the man who lived across the hall from her.

He simply smiled. "That's okay. It was my fault. You had a rough night last night, didn't you?"

Her face flushed red and she frowned deeply. "It's none of your business, so butt out."

"I'm sorry." He paused, "You know, we've lived across the hall from one another for the past three years and I don't even know your name."

"It's Ren. Nanashi Ren. And you are?" She studied him for a moment, taking in his pale face; dark, stringy hair; those brilliant aquamarine eyes. He was wrapped loosely in a red jacket and a forest green bandana held his long hair off his face.

"Tsukioka Katsuhiro." He offered her a hand, "Katsu for short."

His hand somehow appeared in hers, his fingers long, delicate and spindly. Truly, they were the fingers of an artist. His handshake was warm and friendly; just long enough to be comfortable but not so long that she had to pull her hand back. 

"This is my studio." He nodded in the direction of the building, "I saw you looking at the window…I get so caught up in my work I forget to clean." He scratched the back of his head, "Hope you weren't offended by the mess or thinking I'm a slob or anything."

"Oh, no…" She shook her head slightly, "I was looking at myself in the glass. To see how terrible my face looked."

"It doesn't look terrible. But I suppose it's all just a matter of opinion. Maybe you should go see a doctor about your lip though. It's kind of gross." 

"Whatever. It's not the first time it's happened. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep."

"Okay…I'll see you later then, Ren. Nice meeting you."

"Yeah…" She trudged down the street as he went into the studio. _What could be nice about meeting **me**?_

***

"Here. Mr. Shishio needs copies of this transcript and you'd better get his coffee before he gets angry. File this and I need the Shorui file."

"Why can't you do it, Yumi? You're the secretary, not me." Honjou Kamatari blinked his soft brown eyes as the buxom woman before him handed him a stack of papers about a foot thick. 

"It's not like you have anything better to do." The woman snapped peevishly, "I don't know why he keeps you here anyway. You failed the BAR twice and you don't have a real job. He must just keep you around out of pity or something."

"Oh shut up." Kamatari grumbled. Yumi could put him in a bad mood very easily. Maybe because he hated the fact that she was right. Maybe because she could easily rope him into doing her job. Or maybe just because she had the affections of the man he loved. Yes, it was probably that. He glared at her as he staggered over to the filing cabinet near the door. 

It was while he was stuffing things into the drawers that the door flew open. He sidestepped to avoid being hit by it, lost his balance and dropped one of the numerous folders, which spewed it's contents across the floor.

"Crap!" He bent to start gathering the papers. 

The person who had opened the door also knelt down to help him. She was cursing under her breath, muttering apologies and ranting about her own stupidity. He caught the end of one of her sentences, "I've never been more embarrassed," as she straightened back up.

He rose to his feet, finally looking up at her as she handed him the papers. A familiar face; hazel eyes, muddy brown hair, frightened expression, all muted by bruises and a swollen lip. His throat went dry and he blinked several times. "Ren?" He whispered, "Is that you? Holy shit, what happened to you?"

***

So….

Is this terrible? Or okay? I'm still fiddling with ideas. I do have some good plans and it seems most of the RK cast will be living in the same apartment building, but I want it that way. And they may be slightly OOC, but that tends to happen with AU fics, so DEAL WITH IT!!!

Now go click the "review" thingy and tell me whatcha think!!!


	2. Chapter 1

Kaoru mounted the stairs, her footsteps lost in the din created by three hundred or so disgruntled students. She was deep in thought; wondering about what would happen to Ren. The spot beside her as she wandered to her classroom seemed unusually empty without the other woman there. 

What troubled her most was how little she knew about Nanashi Ren, despite the fact that they had lived in the same building for the past two years. She and Kenshin had moved into that apartment when she was pregnant because it was bigger than their old apartment. Ren had already lived there and they had always been friendly. But she knew virtually nothing about her.

"Hey, Ugly, the bells about to ring! _You're _going to be late!"

The voice of her most obnoxious student snapped her out of her reverie. "Mr. Myojin, that was uncalled for. I'll see you after class." She snapped. Rubbing her temples, she made her way into her classroom. _It's going to be a long day…_

***

"…Kamatari?" Ren regarded the man; the frightened expression momentarily leaving her face. It was replaced by a happy one; a smile graced her lips and her eyes lit up. Then, as quickly as it had come, her happiness was gone and her face darkened once more. "I haven't seen you in years."

"Really…What the hell happened to your face, Ren?" Kamatari repeated, eying her critically. She was pale and thin, as if underfed. There were dark circles under her eyes; she looked as if she hadn't slept in days. Maybe she hadn't. He knew she was a little flighty about everyday things like sleep and eating three meals a day.

"My ex…He won't leave me alone." She whispered, "He comes around every week, looking for me. He wants to kill me, I think."  


"You were married? It has been a long time, Kiddo."

"No, he was just a boyfriend. But he took the break up kind of hard." She handed him the sheaf of papers she'd picked from the floor, "That's why I'm here. The cops won't do anything any more. They're sick of me. I want a restraining order. I want him to pay for my medical bills. For me to have counseling. It's not like he can't afford it." Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip. Was she doing the right thing telling him this? They hadn't seen one another in years. He had changed a lot. He hardly even looked the same as the boy she'd went to high school with.

"Aw, man. You got a shitty deal in life too, huh? Law school just didn't work out. I failed the BAR twice and chickened out the third time. But anyway, I suppose you want to see Shishio, huh?"

"Well, I _do _need a lawyer. That's why I'm here, after all."

"Right." He smiled sadly, "Wait here a minute."

She watched as he wandered towards one of the back rooms, wondering what had happened to him since high school. He looked…like a man. A fruity man, but a man nonetheless. Khaki slacks, pink shirt and a pastel striped tie. How unusual to see him dressed like that…

"Miss?"

She jumped at the sound of a lilting voice behind her and turned to find herself face-to-face with a smiling college-age boy. He had dark hair falling around a very pretty face, a smile that was somewhat eerie and dark, velvety blue eyes. 

"Is some one helping you, Miss?" He asked, his head cocked to one side.

"Oh, yes." She nodded, "Kamatari is gone to talk to some one for me."

"That's supposed to be my job." He pouted, the smile never leaving his face.

"Oh." 

"Well, I can at least give you the form to fill out. Have a seat over there." He rummaged through a drawer in the filing cabinet as she settled herself into a fake leather chair. Then he presented her with a clipboard and pen.

"Thank you." She said quietly. 

She was busy scrawling information on the form when Kamatari appeared back in the room. "Come on; he'll see you now."

***

__

This blows….Makimachi Misao slumped down in her seat. _I hate history so much…Why the hell should I learn all this crap? How will it help me in real life? And where the hell is Miss Nanashi? Having a sub is the pits…_

She looked around the room. The girl on her right was enraptured in the sub. The boy on her left was carving something into his desk. Directly in front of her was a slumbering…she thought it was a boy, but with the long hair it was extremely hard to tell.

"Hey…Hey, Misao…" A voice behind her whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"Aoshi made me come." She rolled her eyes, "I'd rather be at home watching talk shows and eating fruit loops, but noooooo…."

"No talking back there!" The substitute teacher barked. He glared at her from under a pair of bushy eyebrows, "You, get out! You look like trouble! From the moment you go here, you've been giving me attitude."

"Fine. Whatever." She whumped out of her seat and out the door, slamming it behind her. _There's no way in hell I'm going to the principle…I'm going home. I'll be back in time for Springer…_

***

Katsu stared at a blank canvas. Most of his thoughts at the moment were not focused on painting. He had been holding the brush in the same spot for the past twenty minutes as his eyes focused on something no one else could see.

He was worried.

__

I'm such a jerk…This has been going on for three years and I never did a thing to help her out. It was so easy to ignore all the screaming; to just tune it out and paint. How could I have been so stupid? I've known all along that there was trouble. And I denied the truth…

Frustrated at his lack of concentration, he flung the paintbrush to the floor, leaving a black blob of paint on the tile. It was pointless to try and get any work done, pointless to try and do anything when he was in a mood like that.

He leaned back in his chair. _Ren…Next time that bastard comes around, I'm going to punch him in the face. You don't deserve any of this shit._

***

__

Tea. Tea. Tea…

Shinomori Aoshi wandered stealthily down the street, his trench coat flapping around his ankles. He ignored the hustle and bustle around him; the squeal of tires on blacktop; the gloomy atmosphere. In fact, he ignored everything in his environment.

__

Another argument this morning…Is it too much to want her to get a decent education? She fights with me about it every morning…I know it's not exactly the ideal school setting, but such things cannot be helped. He frowned. _I need a cup of tea…_

"Morning, Shinomori." 

Aoshi looked up. Walking in the opposite direction as him was Katsuhiro. He stopped, looking at the younger man. Katsu's face was pale, his expression grim. This was not unusual for some one constantly worrying where the rent would come from. Lucky he and Sanosuke were friends and he was allowed extra time to pay.

"…" Aoshi grunted a reply. His mind was elsewhere; the morning's argument with Misao still fresh in his mind. 

"That woman across the hall from me…Did you see her at all today?" The artist asked quietly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

"Misao's teacher? Why would I see her?" His expression remained passive, his voice low and even. "I see her when I go to those damn teacher conferences. She keeps to herself outside of school."

"Right. I didn't even know her name until today. But I'm really worried about her. That guy comes around all the time. She looked terrible. Her face was all bashed up."

"Hmm…" It all added up. Misao complained often that Miss Nanashi was absent from school and they had a substitute. She bitched about this a lot; their neighbor was the only reason the teen enjoyed school in any capacity. Then she would come home bearing tales of Miss Nanashi's bruises and cuts, rumors of how they got there. Apparently, stories and allegations ran wild around the school.

"I think we should all watch out for her, you know? She doesn't seem very able to protect herself and she's got all of us guys living around her. Between me, you, Sano and Kenshin, we _should _be able to keep her safe."

Aoshi nodded. It did seem very unfair for a poor, defenseless woman to be bullied. This went against everything he stood for. Unlike Misao, Ren seemed to be shy and frightened of, well, everything.

"Well, I've got to get going." Katsu shrugged, burying his hands deep in his pockets, "I'll see you around, Shinomori."

Aoshi nodded a second time, averting his gaze back to the sidewalk below him. _Tea…Must have tea…_

***

Kamatari wandered back out to the lobby after he showed Ren to Shishio's office. He was more than a little curious about what had happened to his former classmate. They had once been fairly good friends, but a man tore them apart. That, and Ren's homophobia.

Which led him to another bit of confusion. She had been friendly towards him again. Did she not remember? Or was she not so close-minded as she had once been? Coming out in their junior year had been hard enough. Losing her friendship was the icing on the cake. He had been utterly devastated.

He scratched his head as he wandered aimlessly into the break room in search of a donut. Plain. All that was left was a single plain donut. He glared at it as if that would make it disappear and a better kind appear. Then he remembered…_Shishio's coffee!_

He found his boss's favorite mug in the dishwasher and ambled over to the coffee pot. Filled it with coffee, two sugars, no cream. Just like Shishio liked it. He knew every one of the boss's likes and dislikes; all of his ambitions, his wants, his desires. He knew everything, except how to please the man.

"Haven't you got that coffee yet?" Yumi poked her head into the room.

Kamatari growled low in the back of his throat. He thrust the mug in her direction, nearly splashing out the scalding coffee. "Here. Here's his damn coffee. You know, some of us have things to do other than get coffee for people. And it's your job anyway!" He turned on his heal and stormed out of the room. Yumi annoyed him like no one else.

***

Misao unlocked the apartment door and slowly pushed it open. She threw her book bag down on the floor and flounced into the room, kicking off her shoes as she went. She wandered into the kitchen in search of a snack, then flopped down on the couch.

"Ahhh…" She settled down in the plush cushions, her feet up on the coffee table. She dug the remote out of the cushions and flipped the TV on, searching for the Fox Network. "Just in time." She sighed happily as chants of _Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! _filled her ears. 

It was when Rikki Lake was half over that Aoshi returned and he did not look pleased. Misao looked up at him from over the back of the couch, her eyes wide and innocent. "Hey Aoshi."

He glared at her from under his dark bangs. "What are you doing home?"

She shrugged. "Sub kicked me out. Said I was causing trouble. I didn't do nothing, Aoshi." 

He blinked his icy eyes, but said nothing. Instead he walked briskly out of the room and down the hall. She winced when she heard his bedroom door slam. He was angry.

Very angry.

***

"You think you can help me?" Ren asked nervously. Shishio Makoto was making her nervous as he sat there, eying her critically. He was an intimidating man, his eyes peering intently into hers; his skin riddled with what appeared to be burn scars. His feathery brown hair stuck up in tufts all over his head. She shrank back into her chair slightly, frightened by his feral appearance.

"I think I can help you." He nodded, his voice dripping with confidence. "I can do anything I want, even help the weak like you!"

Her face paled. Had he just called her weak? She was _not _weak…It was just…He was so terrifying when he went crazy. She didn't know what to do when he got like that. All she could do was beg him not to and stare into those haunted eyes, hoping beyond hope that he would somehow realize what he was doing.

"By the laws of nature, you shouldn't even be here." Shishio continued indifferently, as if he were merely discussing the weather, "Survival of the fittest and all. You're lucky to be alive."

"I suppose I am. And all I want to do is stay alive." She frowned, "So you'll get me a restraining order?"

"Of course I will." He grinned as Yumi opened the door to present him with his coffee, "So don't you worry about it, Miss Nanashi." He dismissed her.

She rolled her eyes as the door shut behind her. She could hear Yumi giggling and wondered why she was asking the most unorthodox lawyer in the practice to help her out. 

"How'd it go, Ren?" 

Kamatari's shrill voice caused her to jump. She turned to look at him, taking in his pretty face. Those soft brown eyes, the sensual smile, his whole face framed by his dark, silky hair. How she had missed him in the years since their falling out. He had been one of her closest friends until they both set their sights on Yasuo in their junior year. Then things had gotten tense…

"Okay, I guess." She shrugged, her hands stuffed into her pockets, "He's going to help me."

A relieved look crossed the gay man's face. "That's good. I was kind of worried when you came in here looking so messed up. But, um, it was nice seeing you."

"Feh…" She looked at her feet. Why did people keep saying that? She was miserable. She was wretched. And she certainly didn't deserve any one's friendship or respect. "I've got to go. I need to pick up some groceries."

"If you…ever need anything, feel free to call me." He said slowly. He pulled a post-it note from the desk and scribbled his number on it. "Here. I'm always willing to help out an old friend."

She took the paper and wordlessly stuffed it in her pocket. Then she turned to leave. He stood there, watching her go and feeling rejected for the millionth time that day. _I just want to be friends again…_


	3. Chapter 2

"Are you really mad at me, Aoshi?"

Misao blinked her wide, blue eyes and fiddled with the end of her long braid. She knew he was angry, even without asking. He was being very rigid and -while he was usually deathly silent- she could always sense his carefully hidden emotions. Inwardly, she was smirking. He thought that she really didn't know, but, in truth, she _knew _he was enraged with her.

His cool eyes stared into hers, unblinking, unemotional. He wondered what sort of thoughts were flitting through her pretty little head. She was probably trying to figure out if he really was mad or not and how she could weasel her way out of some sort of punishment. 

"Aoshi?" She repeated. He was staring at something; something she couldn't see. Maybe something which didn't even exist. His eyes were focused on some point above her head, still unblinking.

He looked down at her. "Misao…Why do you cause trouble?"

"I _hate _school. Is that hard to understand or something? It's so boring." She blinked, her mind wandering as she stared at him. _He's so handsome…I wonder if he'll ever see me as any more than a child. I'm eighteen…I'm almost done with this hell they call school. What are we going to do after that? We can't afford for me to go to college. Maybe…_Her eyes widened_…Maybe he'll marry me!_

"Are you listening to me?" Aoshi's voice came sharp and firm. _What the hell is she smiling about?_

"Wha?" She blinked, her face flushing slightly pink. 

"I said you shouldn't cause trouble because you're bored. Maybe if you put a little more effort into your work, you wouldn't have so much energy to get into trouble. Look at your last report card. How do you do so bad in everything?" His voice remained even, but inside he was quivering with anger. It was such a waste, how she let her grades slide. Misao was an intelligent girl. What _was _she thinking?

"None of that matters." She ran one finger across the table, "I'm not going to college anyway. There's no way I could ever afford it."

"Is that what all of this is about?" His expression softened ever-so-slightly, "You can go to college. You can do anything you want. We'll find a way." One of his calloused hands stroked her hair in a very un-Aoshi-like gesture, "Whatever you want."

"Ao-Aoshi…" Her voice wavered and she looked up at him. Her wide eyes were pools of unshed tears and she trembled at the touch of his hand. "I don't want to leave…I'm…I'm afraid of leaving and what I'll do without you. You're the only life I've ever known for the past ten years."

"You don't have to go anywhere, Misao." He held her close to him, pressing her face up against his chest. His hug was rigged and awkward, as if he had never had close contact with another person before.

__

God, he's hugging me! A siren went off in Misao's brain, telling her to just stay there in his arms. She let him hug her as he pleased, not pushing him into anything. _God, I love you…_

***

__

What do I want for dinner? Ren wandered aimlessly through the supermarket, looking at instant meals or TV dinners and trying to decide what would be satisfactory. She had a basket with a few things in it, but they were the basic necessities; milk, bread and peanut butter.

"Hello, Ren."

She turned at the pleasant sound of Himura Kenshin's voice. Kaoru's husband was pushing a shopping cart laden with various foods. Kenji sat in the child seat, reaching for things here and there, whining when his father reprimanded him. 

She looked at them both for a moment. Both father and son shared the same shock of flaming red hair and the same cheerful smile. They were such a beautiful family, so loving and carefree. _I want a family…I want a little baby, some one to take care of…_

But that will never happen as long as **he's **around.

"Hi, Kenshin." She said softly, turning fully around to greet the man properly. She was beginning to dread looking people in the eye, knowing her face looked terrible.

"Ren, what on earth happened to you?" His expression became one of concern, his violet eyes widened and he looked very surprised.

"Take a wild guess." She said dryly.

"You should seek help to get rid of that man, that you should. Living in constant fear would not seem to be much of a life at all." Kenshin said firmly as he wrestled a package of cookies from his small son's hands. "No, Kenji. Not today."

Kenji frowned, his lower lip stuck out in a pout. Then he made a few whiney noises and strained to reach the shelf again. "Neeehhhhh…."

"I am getting help." Ren informed him. _Why does every one seem to think my well-being is there personal business?_

"If you ever need anything -anything at all- don't hesitate to come to us." 

"I'm fine." She muttered, "Now if you'll excuse me…" She sauntered back down the aisle, in search of a box of wheat thins. _It's better if you don't get involved anyway…_

***

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Kamatari." 

"Yeah. See you, Sojiro."

Kamatari looked at the smiling intern as he wandered out of the building for the night. How the hell could the kid be so happy all the time? What did he have to be so happy about? Oh, that's right. He was an abused orphan, rescued from the streets and given a better life. Of course he could be cheerful. No weight on his shoulders.

He sighed as he switched off the lights and locked the door. Seeing Ren had brought back a lot of painful memories. He could vividly recall the day he had admitted to her that he was a homosexual and had feelings for Yasuo, the boy she liked.

Her face had turned very pale and she had backed away as if afraid. Shaking her head, she just kept repeating "no. no, you can't be…no…." and he had insisted. Her hazel eyes filled with tears and she trembled for a moment, then began to scream at him about how disgusting he was.

He remembered every detail; every last bit of pain from that day. It still hurt him then, even after ten years had passed. She had been the first to ever treat him that way and he had thought she would understand. They were friends. He thought she would stay by his side.

__

I was an idiot to think that. I've always been on my own and I shouldn't have thought otherwise. He stuffed the keys in his pocket and started off down the street.

__

God, I'm so damn lonely. Where the hell am I supposed to meet people in this dumpy neighborhood? And why can't I get Ren out of my mind…?

***

Katsu was unlocking his door when he saw Ren wandering down the hall, a grocery bag in her arms. "Hey, you need any help?" He called to her.

"I'm fine." She grunted. She was sick of people being kind to her; sick of people treating her like she couldn't take care of herself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" She whirled around, the bag dropping to the floor, "Leave me alone! I told you before; it's none of your business! I want every one to stop interfering with my life already!"

"But you're not fine, Ren. We all know it." Katsu said gently, "You're scared shitless by that guy and you don't know what the hell to do."

She stared at him for a moment, then burst into tears, sobbing noisily into her hands. "It's not fair. It's just not fair…What did I do to deserve this…?" She slid down to the floor, her back up against the door of her apartment.

"Sometimes things just happen." He said wisely, thinking back to his own turbulent childhood, "Sometimes there are things we wish didn't happen, but there's nothing we can do about them other than move on."

"I want to, but I'm afraid…" She blubbered.

Katsu stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He'd never dealt with a situation like this before. Then he sank down to the floor beside her, pulling her into his arms. "It's okay, Ren. There's nothing wrong with being afraid. You've had it rough. It's okay to be afraid."

"I've been afraid for the past four years." She whispered, "I just want to be happy."

"I promise I'll help you out. Every one here will. We all care about you. We want you to be safe."

"Thank you." She sniffled, wiping her eyes, "That's so kind of you."

"Well, we're decent people. Are you hungry? I can make you dinner. You shouldn't be alone right now. You're pretty shook up."

"O-okay." She sniffled again, looking up into his blue-green eyes. _He really is a handsome man…_

***

"We're home, that we are!" Kenshin called as he struggled to open the door while holding his son and two brown grocery bags. 

Kaoru appeared before him, taking Kenji in her arms. "How was your day?"

"Busy. A lot of people have been celebrating the upcoming holidays early and I've had a lot of business. If we keep saving, we'll be able to get that nicer apartment closer to the school Kenji will go to." He carried the bags into the kitchen and she followed behind, pulling Kenji's coat off. "How was your day, Kaoru?" He asked as he set the groceries down on the counter.

"Busy. Ren didn't go today because he was beating her again, so I was getting a lot of shit thrown on me."

"Yes, I know. We ran into her at the supermarket."

"And Yahiko was giving me grief again. That boy is nothing but trouble. I swear, he'll wind up in jail someday. I don't see why he can't be a good student like Yutaro…He's got so much potential to go far in life."

"You've had a very trying day." Kenshin said softly, "I'll get dinner started right away. You relax."

"That's not even the worst part. Misao was causing trouble again. The administration was in an uproar because she apparently was giving her substitute attitude -you know how she is when Ren's not there to control her- and he asked her to leave. Instead of just leaving class, she just up and walked out of the school."

"Aoshi will be displeased."

"He'll be furious. He's sick of getting calls from Okita about her poor attendance, her unconcerned attitude, and her over all lack of enthusiasm for anything. You know he tried to give her a good life when her parents died. He was only eighteen himself when he took her in and their life was tough. I bet he feels like a failure."

"Poor Aoshi." Kenshin was boiling water and wrestling open a jar of spaghetti sauce as he spoke, "But it's up to Misao to fix these things. There's not much we can do to help them."

"I know. But it seems so sad. Misao is a wonderful girl and Aoshi cares for her deeply. She's hurting both of them by throwing away her future."

A faint smile flickered across Kenshin's face. "Aoshi is the only one Misao trusts. Misao is the only one Aoshi cares about. Perhaps he will marry her after she graduates."

"She should go to college."

"Whether she should or not, it may not be what she needs." He said gently as he put the noodles into the boiling water. "College is not for every one, Kaoru. I think it would be best for Misao to get a job after she finished school. She needs to grow up and realize she cannot get whatever she wants without working for it." 

"But Kenshin, she's so smart!"

"Perhaps we should talk about something else now. Misao and Aoshi's problems are none of our business." Kenshin turned to look at his wife, "Kenji was trying to grab things off the shelves again. Perhaps we should worry about our own child instead of other people."

Kaoru looked at Kenji where he sat in her lap. He grinned up at her innocently and she smiled. "He's just a baby, Kenshin."

"I know." He smiled from under his bangs, "And I'm sure he's a hungry baby. Why don't you feed him while I finish making our dinner?"

"Right."

***

Ren looked up when Katsu offered her a cup of steaming hot tea. She had been sitting nervously on his couch for a while, wondering what he would do to her. She hadn't had the best experiences with men in the past and she was slightly frightened. Suppose he was being nice to her just to lure her into a false sense of security.

"Here. I thought you might like something to warm yourself up while I whip up some dinner. You can watch TV if you want while you wait." He sounded just as nervous as she felt.

"I'm okay." She said quietly.

He nodded, understanding that she was indeed very not okay, but she didn't want to speak about it. "I'll go find something to eat."

She looked around after he wandered back into the kitchen. Their apartments had the same basic layout, only it was as if they had been mirrored. Things were all backwards. The little living room would have seemed so empty, were it not for his paintings that were hanging all over the place. He was an extraordinary artist.

__

He's being very good to me. I wonder why all the sudden interest after three years of barely even a hello. Perhaps he is interested in me, although I don't know why he would be. I'm hideous. I'm so ugly. I'm no good and he'd be better off without me.


	4. Chapter 3

Kamatari awoke with a splitting headache the next morning. He pulled a pillow over his head, trying to block out the sounds of his alarm clock. He felt like hell. Every part of his body ached and his dull hair fell into his eyes as he looked over at the clock to see exactly what time it was. Seven o'clock. Ugh.

So much for finding comfort in the form of a bottle of cherry brandy.

__

I will never drink like that again…Never, never, NEVER. He rolled over, pulling the blankets over his head. _And I am NOT going to work today. Not like they need me anyway…_

His jumbled thoughts wandered back to the previous evening.

__

I came home. Wallowed in self-pity as I remembered…no, as I RELIVED that horrid scene in my mind. Ren telling me I was disgusting. Ren crying and screaming. And then…Ren when she came in, her face all busted up and I wanted to burst into tears and hug her. Because it hurt me so much to see her suffering. Because she used to be my best friend in the whole world. 

Because she was kind to me when no one else was.

And I always loved her for it.

But now…

He huddled up under the covers, wishing he had never been born. Or at least that he had never tangled with that bottle of brandy. _I'm twenty-seven years old and my life is such a mess…._

***

Ren stretched and yawned. 

The night before had had pleasant results as she and Katsu had got to know one another over a simple dinner. He was a charming man, lots of personality and a rapid wit about him. 

She smiled. She actually smiled. That hadn't happened in a long time. It was, however, when she smiled that she realized how much her face still hurt. Her lip started to bleed again and her face felt soar. Her eye throbbed. _I can't go to class today…_

Yawning a second time, she sat up, reaching for the phone beside her bed. The school was on speed-dial and she punched in the number that would connect her directly with Okita's office. 

"Hello? Souji? It's Ren. I can't come in again today. I'm not feeling up to it. Yeah…That's right…Yes. Alright. I see your point, but Aoshi wouldn't go for that. He's pretty adamant about her getting educated…Yeah; I wonder about that too. He is very concerned about her and I have seen his name written on her papers and scrawled in little hearts. She even hands things in with 'Shinomori Misao' written in the name space." She paused, listening to him as he spoke, "Right. I'll give her some work later today. See you tomorrow…That's right, _Monday_. Good-bye, Souji."

Okita Souji was very good to her. She thought over her relationship with the principal she had worked with for the past five years. Souji was a good man. He gave her time off as she needed it without questioning it. Unlike everybody else, he kept to himself and didn't badger her about the goings on in her life.

__

I have to call Aoshi and tell him not to bother sending Misao to school today. Souji says to have her over her so I can give her some one on one work. She really needs to get her head out of the clouds and do some work. I want to see her graduate this spring.

She dialed again and spoke briefly with the man, explaining to him why exactly Okita _wanted _the girl to stay home. There were intervals of silence in which she knew he was silently responding to her statements and the occasional "Aa" from his end of the line. He sounded tired on the occasion that he talked, but she knew he had just got home from work.

Now what? She flopped back down on the bed_. I don't want to sit here all day. I would go crazy if I did that. Maybe I can go visit Katsu at his gallery…_

She sat back up, pushing her hair from her eyes. It was Friday. That meant a weekend was upon her. She had hopes of recovering enough to go to class on Monday -her students needed her!- but weekends usually just meant he came around more. 

She sighed. 

Life sucked.

The phone rang. She lifted the receiver, said hello and then froze as that familiar voice invaded her ears. The childish taunting, teasing, laughing. She practically threw the phone back into the cradle, then she crawled out of bed and, grabbing her bathrobe, ran out of the room.

***

Misao was lost somewhere in a sea of blankets when Aoshi poked his head into her room. He frowned slightly, able to see nothing but the tail end of her long braid poking out from amidst pile of fabric. 

__

It would be best for me to just let her sleep. He told himself, _And I'd better go get some sleep. I'll leave a note for her about going to see Ren in case I'm not awake when she gets up._

He scribbled something on a piece of paper and hoped it was coherent. Working the graveyard shift as a security guard at the hospital was a killer job, but he had to feed them somehow and he liked being around in the day when Misao was home. He just liked being with her period. Taking care of her was the only life he had known for ten years.

He peered into her room one last time before he went to retire in his own room. She hadn't moved once. "Enjoy the extra rest while you can get it." He said quietly, "And I'm sure we will both be glad that there was no arguing this morning." Then he shut the door behind him and padded down the hall. _Ahhh….Sleep…_

***

Katsuhiro was eating breakfast when he heard some one pounding on his door. A frown crossed his face. He wondered if it was Sanosuke; if his friend was drunk again. He set down his spoon and rose to go to the door. He was all set to chew out his friend, but as he got closer he could hear Ren frantically calling to him.

"Katsu! God, Katsu, let me in! Katsu! He…He…He called me; I'm scared; God dammit, let me in, Katsu!" 

"Ren!" He opened the door to find her standing there, hysterical. "Come on in; it's okay."

She fell into his arms, sobbing. "Don't let him…Don't let him…You won't…Don't let him hurt me, Katsu!" She sniffled, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Calm down…" He hugged her carefully, trying to give her space, "Come over here and sit down. I'll make you some tea. We'll figure this out. I won't let anything happen to you."

He forced her to sit down, then looked at her. She was wearing her bathrobe over a pair of flannel pants and a thermal shirt. Her hair was a mess and her lip was crusted with dried blood. He felt his heart turn for her. She was so tragic.

"I'll be right back." He assured her. He went into the kitchen and microwaved water to make her tea. Then he hurried back into the living room, only to find her huddled at the end of the couch in a quivering lump.

"Here. Drink this. You'll feel better." He said kindly. He sat at the other end of the couch, still giving her plenty of space. "Now, what exactly happened?"

"I…I called in sick to work. Then I called Aoshi to tell him Okita doesn't want him to bother sending Misao to school. Then I was sitting on my bed and the phone rang. I thought maybe it would be either Okita or Aoshi, so I answered and it was _him_."

"Oh, Ren…" He didn't know what to say. He still didn't even know the man's name. All he knew was that they had gone out for about a year then she had decided to break it off. This was when things got bad and he started attacking her.

"He was threatening me. Saying he was going to kill me. He would too. He needs a lot of help, Katsu." She stared into the tea cup, her short hair falling around her face and hiding her expression from him.

"You need help too, Ren." He said slowly, "And I want to help you. I really like you. I only want to see you happy."

"Katsu…" She looked up at him shyly.

A faint smile crossed his face. She was so much like a scared deer; so timid and frightened. But there was a beauty about her, some hidden quality that seemed to be leaking out as he was around her. "Don't worry."

"Thank you so much…" Her fingers flexed slightly around the cup, "It means a lot to me to have some one care."

His smile widened. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything about it sooner. I've been trying to ignore everything for the past three years. I didn't want to deal with it, as much as I liked you. I'd pass you in the hall and see you looking so scared and I always wondered why. Why did you put up with some one like that? And I didn't do a thing about it. I'm so sorry."

"It's…It's n-not your fault." Her chin trembled; her eyes welling with tears. "But I really, really appreciate all you're doing for me now."

There was something between them and he hoped she could feel it too. He had always been attracted to her, but she seemed unreachable. She looked comfortable there, sitting on his shabby couch, her legs tucked underneath her. He never wanted her to be uncomfortable around him.

***

Kenshin kissed his wife goodbye and set out to open his little dry cleaning shop around eight o'clock that morning. It was a Friday and business would be slow, so he had Kenji with him. 

"Kenji, we shall have an uneventful day, that we shall." He told the little boy as he took off his coat. "But I'm sure your mama will have a lot of stories for you later on."

Kenji frowned, looking up at his father through wide, turquoise eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked together. Then he burst into tears, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Kenshin sighed. "It's going to be a long day; that it is…" 

***

Tsukayama Yutaro slumped down in his seat in Mrs. Himura's class. He had at one time enjoyed school until he wound up in a class with that moron Yahiko. All the other boy did was make his life miserable by teasing him, tripping him and throwing things at him. It wasn't his fault he was smart. It wasn't his fault he had injured his arm in the accident and it was hard for him to do things. And it certainly wasn't his fault they both happened to like the same girl.

He glanced over at Tsubame where she sat staring at her desk. She always seemed nervous, but he knew that was because she was a very shy girl. In some ways, she reminded him of his aunt Ren. Maybe that was why he liked her. Ren was his favorite relative ever. She gave him the attention he craved, but had never spoiled him. He couldn't wait until he got to be in her class and he could show her what a good student he was. He couldn't wait to show everybody.

"What are you staring at?" Came the loud, obnoxious voice of Myojin Yahiko. Yutaro snapped to attention, glaring at his rival, his blue eyes narrowed down to slits.

"What does it matter to you?" He muttered. Yahiko knew how to aggravate him to no end. No one, in Yutaro's mind, could be more annoying or stupid than Yahiko.

"It matters to me because you're looking at my girl." Yahiko's fist appeared in front of Yutaro's face. 

The other boy sighed. His spiky-haired, dark-eyed adversary was such an idiot. "If you punch me in here, moron, you'll be in deep shit. And I'm free to look wherever I want to. So get your fist out of my face and stop trying to be threatening because it's _not _working." 

Yahiko glared at him, but had no response to this. He knew it was true; Yutaro hardly got in trouble because he was Miss Nanashi's nephew and Miss Nanashi was friends with Principal Okita. It wasn't fair. 

Yutaro smirked. No matter what, Yahiko would ultimately be the loser.

***

It was around noon when Misao returned to the land of the living. She dug her way out of the covers and looked over at her clock. _ELEVEN FIFTY-FIVE!?!?! Holy shit! How did I sleep so long? And why didn't…_

Something happened to Aoshi!

She dragged herself from the bed, tangled up in the mess of blankets. There was one thought on her mind and that was the following: Something happened to Aoshi at the hospital and he never came home.

She finally kicked the last blanket away and ran out of her room, clad in nothing but a tee-shirt and underwear. He always woke her up when he got home. He always made her get up and get ready for school. They always got into a huge argument and wound up angry at one another. Always.

She pulled open the door to his room and peered in. There he was, sound asleep on the bed, curled up in a big lump. She breathed a sigh of relief. Oh Aoshi…You're here…But why didn't you wake me up?

She closed the door quietly, not wishing to disturb him, then wandered into the kitchen. Sitting on the kitchen table beside a bag of donuts was a note.

__

Misao-

Don't worry about school today. Okita wants you to stay home, as long as you go see Ren. She wasn't going to be there so it would be pointless for you to go. Have a good day; I'll see you later when I wake up.

-Aoshi

PS- Do not under any circumstances eat the Bear Claw. It's **mine**.

She smiled to herself as she looked at his tight, neat handwriting on the paper. Even if he didn't show it well, he _did _care about her.


	5. Chapter 4

"Hey, Ren! Ren, are you there? Aoshi said I was supposed to come over!" Misao knocked on the door, calling in to her teacher friend.

The door behind her opened and Katsu poked his head out. "Misao? What are you looking for Ren for?"

"She's supposed to be doing something school related with me. But she's not answering her door." Misao looked up at Katsu, her arms folded across her chest. She was wearing purple velour pants and a long-sleeved, hooded shirt. Her hair dangled down her back in that long braid and fuzzy slippers were on her feet. She looked as if she had just gotten up.

"Of course she won't be answering. She's asleep on my couch." Katsu blinked, pushing his dark hair out of his face.

"What is she doing on your couch? Are you two some sort of couple or something? She never mentioned it to me before…"

"No. We're not a couple." Katsu blushed slightly. _Although I'd like us to be one… _"She got a phone call that really upset her this morning. So she came over and we talked about it. Then she fell asleep on my couch."

"Did he hurt her really bad this time? I haven't seen her since Wednesday."

"He busted her face up really bad. She's been here all day since she's scared out of her wits. I haven't done any work whatsoever because I've been with her all day."

"I'm going back upstairs then. Tell her I was looking for her and I'll be around."

"Okay."

He closed the door and Misao turned to go back to the elevator. _Poor Ren…And Poor Katsu if he gets mixed up with her. All of out lives are so messed up…_

She hummed a Goo Goo Dolls song as she waited for the elevator. **_Baby's black balloon makes her fly. I almost fell into that hole in your life…_**

Our lives are so full of holes…Every one here has a tragic story of some kind. We're all connected in some weird way. Teacher, student, colleague, neighbor, friend, relation…It goes around in one big circle. Funny how we all wound up here, in this building.

Aoshi picked this apartment. It's his fault I'm involved in this in any way. If we didn't live here, there would be no friendship with Ren and I would never graduate high school. She's helping me out so much and she didn't have to. No one's paying her to give me extra attention because I'm too lazy to do work. I owe them both a lot…

***

Kenji crawled across the floor of his father's dry cleaning shop. One could find interesting things down on the floor…Buttons, strings, dead leaves…Kenji was enjoying himself immensely when Kenshin suddenly lifted him from the floor.

"Now, now, Kenji, the floor is dirty; that it is." He chided his little son, who proceeded in yanking on his hair in protest. "Don't do that, Kenji. Daddy doesn't like it." He gently removed his son's little fingers from the lock of hair he had them wrapped around.

A great frown crossed Kenji's face. Then he stuck out his tongue at his father, blowing him a raspberry. 

Kenshin laughed, hugging the boy to him. "You always give me so much trouble, yet you're a perfect angel for your mama. Sometimes I think you're out to get me."

***

It was four in the afternoon before Kamatari dragged himself out of bed and into the shower. Looking into the mirror above the sink, he found himself to be in a most sorry state. His dull hair was sticking up all over the place. His face was pale, his eyes blood-shot and ringed by dark circles.

"I'm pathetic." He moaned. His head still hurt. Every part of his thin, pallid body ached. He just wanted to crawl back into bed and never come out. He hadn't felt that horrid in a long time. Not since the last time he had gotten drunk ten years ago when Ren had said she hated him.

Ren. She had invaded his every thought for the past twenty-four hours. The way her hair fell across her forehead and around her face. Those big, haunted eyes. That faint little smile she had given him…How had she wound up in such a bad place in her life?

He had missed her. She had been good to him, until that nasty episode with Yasuo. That boy…What had they seen in him? He had been tall and lanky, with shaggy dark hair and inky eyes. He _was _attractive, but had he been worth losing a friendship over? 

__

I don't think so…He peeled off his shirt, studying his fair figure in the mirror. _Yasuo would never have wanted some one like me. But he apparently didn't want Ren either…Our friendship was ruined over something so petty. _

He ran the water, testing it's temperature with a few slender fingers. _It's not like I ever wanted anything romantic with her…She was just a friend. I've always been into men, so she shouldn't have felt threatened by that. But there's something about her that I can't help but love. Ren will still be Ren, no matter how much she's broken on the outside._

The shower felt good; it helped clear his mind. He wiped steam from the mirror as he toweled his hair. He looked a little better and a lot less sleepy. _Maybe I'll go out for a little bit and get some fresh air…_

***

Kaoru was really worried. Ren hadn't come to school again. Of course, Okita said she'd called in sick, but that didn't stop the other woman from worrying. Ren was not in a good situation. This nutcase she had dated was out for blood. He seemed to enjoy hurting her. This just caused Kaoru to fret even more.

Of course, she couldn't let this show in front of Yutaro. 

The boy had followed her out of the school, informing her that he was supposed to be spending the weekend at his aunt's while his father went out of town. Yutaro's mother and Ren had been sisters, but Tsukayama Yuri had died shortly after her son was born, leaving the boy with only a father and his wayward aunt to look after him. He had been snubbed by his father's family because his mother came from a "less privileged" family. The Tsukayama family was rather affluent and Yutaro lived with his father in a penthouse apartment way across town.

"You think maybe Aunt Ren is sick?" He asked as he tagged along behind her, "She missed two days in a row…"

Poor Yutaro…So smart, yet so ignorant. He knew nothing about the dangerous situation his beloved relation was caught up in. Kaoru only prayed nothing would happen to her while the boy was there. Let the ex stay away for the weekend. It would be a tragedy, were anything to happen to innocent Yutaro.

"She had a little accident." Kaoru lied, "And she tripped down the steps. Banged herself up pretty good. Her face is a mess. That's why she hasn't been at school."

"I hope she went to see Dr Takani. She took real good care of my arm when I messed it up. I mean, they said I probably would never be able to use it again, but Dr Takani fixed it up pretty well. I still can't use my right hand for a lot of stuff, but I _can _use my arm again."

"I don't think it was as bad as all that, Yutaro." Kaoru couldn't help but smile at the boy. He could be so charming, when he wanted to. Being in a less well-to-do neighborhood seemed to have a certain effect on the boy. He simply wasn't the same brat he usually was.

"Oh. But I worry about her a lot." He frowned up at her from under his bangs, "She always seems so _scared _of something."

"She's had it rough, Yutaro."

"I know that." He sighed, "But it's not fair. Dad has so much money and he never helps her out." His frown deepened, "She could be living someplace so much nicer than this if Dad would give her money."

Kaoru smiled wanly. In any other situation, Yutaro would have been bragging about his own financial status. When it came to Ren, however, nothing mattered but her well-being.

***

__

Where am I? Ren lifted her head and looked around, rubbing sleep from her eyes. The one which had been blackened and bruised was still tender and it throbbed when she touched it. Her gaze came to rest on a painting above the shabby couch on which she lay curled up. _That's right…I'm across the hall at Katsu's…Did I…_Her face burned red…_Did I fall asleep on his couch?_

"How are you feeling?" 

She looked up. Katsu was standing in the doorway, his turquoise eyes lit with concern. He looked nervous and jittery, as if he wanted to say more, but was unsure what exactly to say.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep here…" She blushed, "I'm such a nuisance."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind. Sometimes I get too caught up in my work and need a good dose of reality anyway."

"Why are you being so kind to me? I'm just a stupid piece of trash." She looked down, studying the threadbare carpet intently.

"Is that what he told you?" Katsu shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"That's what he tells me all the time. He always says he shouldn't have wasted time with a loser like me." Her voice became very quiet and he almost didn't even hear her.

"He's the loser, Ren. You've got a lot going for you. You have a good education, a good job and people who care about you. Every one here worries about you, but you don't let us help you ever." He sat down beside her, gently taking her hand in his, "I know you don't like to do it, but please can't you trust me to help you?"

She looked up, her eyes wet with tears. "Oh, Katsu…I'd like to trust you…But…I trusted him too."

"I'm not like that, Ren." A contemplative frown crossed his face, "I wouldn't abuse a woman. It just doesn't work that way."

"I want to believe that so badly…" She looked away from him, her voice low and mournful, "I want to believe it more than anything…"

"Then believe it. I really like you. A lot." He said quietly, "I want to know you better and maybe be at least friends. I won't ask for more from you until you're ready."

"I _can't _get involved with you. It'll only make things worse…"

"It doesn't have to. Why don't you go to the police?"

"Saito won't listen to me any more. He's sick of hearing about it because he can never catch him. He just eludes them by disappearing between the shadows and into some little world where no one can reach him, not even me. It drives Saito crazy and he gets mad at me for wasting his time."

"That's not fair to you." Katsu's eyes narrowed down. _Yet another reason I'm not too fond of the current state of our fine country… _"You haven't done anything wrong and he's blaming you for it?"

"He says I'm pestering him. That's why I went to a lawyer yesterday. I need to do something to get myself out of this mess."'

"And I want to be there to help you, no matter what. You're not getting rid of me that easily!" He teased, a half smile on his face. He could be just as stubborn as she was. And he wasn't about to let her slip through his fingers.

A soft smile crossed her face and she hugged him_. I don't want to get rid of you…But I can't be with you yet either…_

***

Aoshi rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He wondered what Misao had done when she realized he didn't wake her up. _She probably didn't even care…She probably hates me for making her go to school every day…_

Ugh.

Might as well get up and see what she's doing.

If she's even here.

He sat up, cracking his back and pushing his dark hair from his eyes. It was five o'clock, the same time his internal alarm always had him up after he had been at work all night. He rose and shuffled down the hall, his flannel pants making little crackle noises as the dry air hit them. 

It was cold in the apartment. During the day, while Misao was at school and he was asleep, he had gotten into the habit of turning down the heat to save money. Now frigid air was hitting his bare chest and causing him to shiver as he wandered to the thermostat.

__

Suppose she does go away to college…I'll be…lonely. He blinked as he twisted the knob and the heater came on. _Lonely…I've never thought about it before because I've always given the impression that I liked being alone. But being with Misao…She makes me feel…good. Like nothing I did in the past matters. _

I could be so happy with her.

But she deserves better. She deserves a proper education and some one who never caused other people pain. And a better place to live, where there aren't crazy men ravishing her friends every week and she doesn't have to lock the door all the time.

He wandered into the kitchen in search of something to eat. She had scribbled something illegible on the note in response to what he said. He smiled to himself as he picked up the bag from the bakery and looked over the note. I looked like it said:

__

Aoshi…You big jerk! I thought something happened to you when I woke up and it was noon. I'm going out and I'll be back when I get back. Oh, and I didn't eat your stupid donut!

He pulled the Bear Claw from the bag and began to munch on it thoughtfully. _How can I fix things so she'll be happy here with me the way she makes me happy?_


	6. Chapter 5

"Hey there, Kiddo." Ren was going back to her own apartment when she met Kaoru and Yutaro in the hall. Her nephew gave her a peculiar look at the sight of her there in her pajamas, but said nothing, simply greeted her with a hug.

She stroked back his hair. At twelve going on thirteen, Yutaro was starved for attention. His father was too busy for him, he had no friends and there was no one his own age in the apartment he and his father lived in. He loved to see Ren because she treated him like he was special, not like he was a rich brat.

"Hi, Aunt Ren." He said quietly, "How are you feeling? Mrs. Himura said you fell down the stairs." He was smart enough to know this wasn't true. Just looking at her face, he could tell. A person had done that to her and he intended to find out who.

"I've been better. You hungry? Come on; I'll make you some dinner." She looked over her shoulder at Kaoru, "Thanks for bringing him home for me. I owe you one."

"No problem, Ren. I was coming anyway, you know. You take care of yourself this weekend and if you, you know, need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Kenshin and I are always willing to help out."

A faint smile lit her face. "Okay. I'll see you, Kaoru."

Yutaro looked up, his blue eyes flitting from one woman to the other. Kaoru, attractive in her own way; dark hair, dark eyes, motherly attitude and Ren, slight and frightened; short brown hair, hazel eyes, suspicious nature. They couldn't be more different if they tried. 

He followed Ren into the apartment, not saying a single word until the door was closed and he knew Kaoru could no longer hear him. "You didn't really fall down the stairs, did you?"

"What do you think?" She regarded him evenly, her hazel eyes never leaving his childish face.

"I think some one beat you up, Aunt Ren. I think they punched you in the face and slapped you and I don't understand why any one would do that."

"Oh, Yutaro…" Her expression softened, "I don't understand it either. But sometimes there are things we can never understand."

"But it isn't fair…You didn't do anything wrong, did you? You aren't in trouble, right? You wouldn't do things like that."

"No…It's not anything I did. I had a boyfriend a while ago and he had a few problems. It's not his fault. You can't help those sort of problems. But when he gets angry, he thinks I need to suffer to make him feel better."

"That's sad…"

"Yes; but I'm getting it taken care of. Don't you worry about it."

"I can't help worrying, Aunt Ren. Because I care about you and it isn't fair."

"Life's not fair, Kiddo. Now what do you want for dinner?"

He frowned as she puttered around the kitchen. Ren was hiding something and he wouldn't stand for it. He had to know what was going on. 

***

"I'm home!" Kaoru pushed open the door to apartment 206 and shoved her keys back into her pocket. What a tiring day it had been; Yutaro and Yahiko bickering constantly, a spelling test that had gone poorly, Okita telling her Ren was absent again…

"Mama!" Kenji toddled towards her, his arms raised up, indicating he wanted a hug.

"Hi, Baby." She pulled him into her arms, "Did you have a good day with Daddy?"

"Meh…" His little arms wrapped around her neck.

"Aww…Better than going to daycare though, huh?" She rubbed his back, smiling. She adored her small son. He was such a cute little kid.

"Evening, Kaoru." Kenshin appeared in the kitchen doorway, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Kenshin." Her smile widened and she crossed the room to him, setting Kenji back down on the floor. She wrapped her arms around him, her head on his shoulder.

"Tough day, Kaoru?" He stroked her hair lovingly as Kenji crawled over to them and stood up, using her pant leg as support. 

"Yeah…Sometimes, I hate this job. It's just one big headache. But it's not that that's bothering me. It's Ren. I took Yutaro to her house and she's a mess. She was with Katsu all day, crying. Yutaro knows that something is wrong. I'm worried about them both."

"You worry to much about other people; that you do." He buried his face in her hair, "You need to worry about yourself. You need to let them deal with things on their own."

She looked up at him, smiling. She loved the way he fretted over her, the way he worried but tried not to seem overly concerned. "I can't help it. I'm good at worrying."

"Yes, I know." He grinned, his amethyst eyes sparkling, "That's part of why I love you. You care so much about other people."

"I care most," She kissed him firmly, "About you."

"I care most about you too; that I do." He brushed back her hair, "I love you, Kaoru." 

"Oh, Kenshin…"

"Maaaa!" Kenji tugged on her pant-leg again, interrupting his parents moment and frowning up at them, his turquoise eyes lit with disapproval. He glared at his father, then looked at his mother, a sweet smile on his face.

"Oh, Kenji!" She laughed and scooped him up into her arms. He wrapped his chubby arms around her neck, looked at Kenshin and stuck out his tongue.

The redhead blinked his violet eyes. Then a slow smile crossed his face. Of course Kenji _hadn't _done that on purpose…He was just a baby. But the timing was impeccable. The little boy had ruined yet _another _intimate moment between him and his wife. Perhaps Kenji wanted to remain an only child.

"Come on," He smiled affectionately at his wife and child, "Dinner's almost ready."

***

Sojiro was thinking. He was thinking about that poor girl who had come to the firm the day before with her face all banged up; the one that knew Kamatari. He wondered what had happened to her and how she had gotten all banged up like that. If some one was beating her…That would affect him in personal ways.

He thought back to his family; the people who should have loved him. His father, his step mother, his half-siblings…They should have protected him and taken care of him. They should have made sure he had food to eat and a warm bed to sleep in.

Instead, they had beaten and belittled him, forced him to sleep on the fire escape, starved him half to death. 

And they had all died.

A slight frown crossed his face at the memories swirling within his mind. He hadn't thought about any of this for a long time_. Seeing Miss Ren made it all come back to me. I remember being as scared and unloved as she looked. _

But she isn't unloved…

The look in Kamatari's eyes when he came back said it all. Miss Ren has some one who cares about her. Kamatari said he hadn't seen her in ten years, but it was still there; that expression saying he cared for her. She is some one special to him, whether or not either of them realize it.

Kamatari is strong. He can help Miss Ren. Mister Shishio will only belittle her because she is weak and she does not need that. I should tell him…If Miss Ren is truly like me -and I saw myself within her- she will be hurt even more than she will be helped…

***

Aoshi was just coming out of the bathroom when he heard the sound of footsteps in the hall. He made sure the towel around his waist was secure before opening the door all the way. He hadn't been expecting Misao back so soon so he'd been wearing nothing but a towel after he finished showering.

"Oh, hey Aoshi." She paused at her bedroom door to greet him.

He regarded her, water dripping from his damp hair and into his eyes. She was dressed in slippers and what looked like pajamas and looked extremely childish, but he knew he couldn't keep thinking of her that way. She was eighteen years old -her birthday had been the month before- and was becoming a beautiful young woman; some one he loved greatly. "Good afternoon, Misao." _Did I keep my voice non-committal? Does she suspect anything?_

"Did you sleep well?" She looked at one of her slippers, rather than up at him.

"Yes; thank you." _What the hell are we doing? We sound like two people who barely know each other, not people who have been living together for the past ten years. I hate this. I hate the way things are. _

While he was thinking, she had slipped into her room. He sighed, entering his own room to get dressed.

Emerging a little while later, having had the revelation that things needed to change between him and Misao, Aoshi sauntered down the hall, running his fingers through his long bangs.

Misao was lounging languidly on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. The TV was blaring some music video; it was loud, obscene music and the lyrics spoke ill of nearly everything.

He switched the TV off and she sat up, looking at him curiously. Usually he didn't care what she did so long as she went to school every day.

"Misao, are you happy?" He asked, his face a sea of empty emotions.

"Sure." She shrugged, "I don't think I could expect more out of life."

"That's not what I meant." A pregnant pause followed this statement as they stared at one another for a long time. He took a deep breath, about to say something that would change the course of both their lives forever. "Are you happy with me, Misao?"

"A-Aoshi…" She stammered, unsure of how to respond. She had always been infatuated with him, always trusted him blindly. Now, he was unsure about something. Of course she was happy with him. She could have been happy with him anywhere, under any circumstances. "Well, yes…I'm happy with you. I love being with you. But…Well…" She trailed off, unsure how to finish.

"Are you…in love with me?" He asked slowly, praying to every conceivable god that she wouldn't laugh at him; that the answer would be yes.

"Am I in love with you?" Misao repeated slowly. 

Her voice sounded numb, empty, devoid of all feeling, and Aoshi wondered what had possessed him to ask such a foolish question. Of course she didn't love him. He was ten years older than her, a pathetic loser with a shady past, and also a man she looked up to as a brother. _How could I be so stupid?_

She was silent for a long time, not quite knowing what to say. She had always dreamed he would ask something like that or tell her he loved her, but she had never actually expected him to do it. Now that he had, she was speechless. 

A frown crossed his handsome face. Why hadn't she said anything yet? His mind raced. Perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps she didn't love him. Perhaps she wanted to leave after she graduated. Perhaps-

"Aoshi…?"

He snapped back to attention at the sound of her voice. She was looking at him, her blue eyes like twin seas floating amidst the innocent beauty of her face. Oh, to dive into those eyes; to hold her the way he had the night she had cried. To kiss her -_Get a hold of yourself, Shinomori!_

"Why did you ask me that? Are you making fun of me?" She looked at her feet, her face flushed slightly red.

"Making fun of you?" He echoed stupidly, "I would never make fun of you." He sat down beside her on the couch, his hand finding it's way to hers where it rested on her lap. "I ask you because _I _love _you_."

***

A few snowflakes drifted to the ground, passing through Kamatari's field of vision on their way by. He blinked his ginger eyes, brushing snowflakes from his long lashes. _Winter weather depresses me…It's so gray and gloomy…_

He paused in front of a window, looking at himself as he was mirrored back in the glass. His dull hair hung limply around his pale face; his eyes looked mournful and empty. Never in his life had he felt less attractive than at that moment. Never in his life, in fact, had he ever felt anything _but _attractive.

He though back to when he had called into work that morning. Yumi had answered the phone on the fifth ring, sounding harried and slightly agitated. He'd said he wouldn't be in because he had a hangover and felt like shit. She had been, as expected, less than sympathetic. He swore he's heard her mumbling "no loss there" as she hung up the phone.

This only served to increase his current state of depression.

Expendable, am I? A sigh escaped his lips as he continued to peer at his reflection in the plate-glass window. Something suddenly caught his attention; a slight movement in the reflection. He turned around, in time only to catch a glimpse of a man with spiky blond hair rounding the corner.

__

I'm in Ren's neighborhood. He finally realized this when he looked up. His legs had unconsciously carried him there. He'd been filing her paperwork the day before and couldn't resist looking at her address. 'You never do know when something like that will come in handy' he'd told himself. _Maybe I'll go visit her…_

'But…She won't want to see you.' A voice in the back of his mind argued, 'She thinks you're disgusting, _remember? _She told you to get away from her; to never speak to her again.'

__

Shut up. He frowned, trying to force back the voice. _Shut up; you don't know what you're talking about. She was nice to me yesterday. So shut up and stop trying to make me feel even more like shit._

'You just keep telling yourself that.' The voice finished. 'You'll see what happens when you show up at her door. Then we'll see who's right.'

He stopped outside the apartment, looking up at it as snow continued to fall. The snow landed on his face, melting the second it touched his flushed cheeks. He blinked twice, wondering what other kind of people lived in the apartment and how they would allow Ren to be beaten.

Then a determined expression crossed his face and he pushed open the door. _It's now or never…_


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note: **  
**  
Firuze Khanume** - First let me start off by saying I can see why you DON'T have your e-mail in your profile. Otherwise, people like me would be sending you incredibly long e-mails.  
  
Next off is your question, so boldly asked of me: WHY IN HELL PUBLISH AN   
STORY IN A FIRST PLACE?  
  
My response to this is: I write and POST my stories simply for my own enjoyment. I'm not expecting to become some sort of famous author. I know there's a lot I still need to learn about writing and such, that's why I only do it for a hobby. Look at my previous works. It took me 21 stories to get over 50 reviews. Yet I still kept writing anyway. I do it because I enjoy it. I like what I'm writing. I don't really care if other people do. If they enjoy it, that just makes it better. If not, oh well.  
  
In blocking you, I was not trying to deny the truth. I'll admit, the chapter needs reworking. I was hesitant to post it as was, but did anyway to see what sort of response it would get. I wa snever really happy with it and was well aware of the gamble I would take by posting it. I have, however, thought of a better direction for the plot. I'm going to be editing and re-posting. I'm sure you'll still find a reason to criticize me, but I'd like to point out that you're the only person so far who had any sort of problem with my story.  
  
Next order of business: Kamatari. I have no intention of turning him straight. If you had looked at my bio, you would know that he is my favorite anime character. I love him as is and never had the intention of Ren converting him back to heterosexuality. He is merely confused at the moment. Besides, you hardly know a thing about Kamatari. He's not really given much of a background or anything. For all any one knows, he certainly could be bisexual. This is a reason I like to focus on side/background characters. You don't know much about them, therefore, it's easier to write them without totally bastardizing them. And I know i made him a little OOC, but that's called creative liberty, something which is my God-given right.   
  
Fifthly (or is that not a word? Will you get mad at me for saying that? *cough*sarcasm*cough*): Ren is NOT interested in Shishio. Sorry if I confused you there. Shishio is nothing more than her lawyer. What Sojiro meant by " Shishio was not what she needed" was that he would not be some one who could help her. It wasn't my intent to imply any sort of romantic interest.  
  
As for Ren being a Mary Sue...I've tried my darndest to NOT write a Mary Sue. You're the first person to accuse me flat-out of writing one. In this subject...Ren is NOT a self-insert. She may bear a slight resemblance to me, but that's it. And she certainly is not flawless. She's a coward. She doesn't listen to other people. She puts up with all sort of shit and lets people walk all over her. She's not anything I'd call pretty (" She was pale and thin, as if underfed. There were dark circles under her eyes; she looked as if she hadn't slept in days") and she's certainly NOT any sort of drop-dead gorgeous model. If she were a self-insert, she would be loud, overweight, bossy, domineering and wouldn't give a shit about anything. She would fight back against anything that didn't set well with her and she would be incredibly nosey. This is what I'M like. Ren is not. Maybe she isn't the best OC I've come up with, but, like I said before, no one else has problems with her. Only you.  
  
Anyway, to wrap things up, if you " tell me how fed up of stories like yours I'm, when the writers have to create Mary Sues (stylized versions of themselves)to fill the void in their lives...", don't bother trying. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's very unfair of you to treat me so mean simply because you dislike it. I agree that you certainly are entitled to your opinions. You do not, however, have to make them so damn hurtful. I know I'm not the best writer. I'm only eighteen and still have much to learn before I am even close to anything as good as say, Mary Higging Clark or Nora Roberts or all those published people. You do not, however, have the right to treat people like trash simply because you dislike the way thet write. That's just plain cruel. "Or better yet, LEARN to write good fiction/fanfiction." This is what I am doing. If we're just kids, how can you expect us to be wonderful writers? I accept criticism, but not the kind you give. A friend of mine read your profile and said to me "what does this lady like?" As for this "And believe me, I will add a comment about this attitude in my own bio, and my next chapter," I don't really care. Say what you want. I have people who enjoy my writing. You can not care. It doesn't really hurt me much (so why bother with this author's note? Since you so conveniently DON'T have your e-mail posted, I had to explain myself somehow.).  
  
Guess that's it. I'm done.   
  
Oh, and by the way, my family (with the exception of my Green party brother) is Republican. We're pro-Bush. Glad to know you automatically HATE me for it.   
**  
unique-starfish -** Thanks for sticking up for me. I appreciate it. *love and hugs*  



	8. Chapter 6

"You…love me?" Misao blinked her cerulean eyes, slowly repeating what Aoshi had said. They were still sitting together on the couch and he still had her hand held in his. This was too much for her poor brain to handle. 

"I'm sorry I didn't deal with this sooner." He said quietly, "I've been putting it off for a year now, because I am a coward." He was being incredibly honest with her, doing something he didn't often do. He had opened his carefully guarded heart to her and if she turned him away he would be crushed.

"Aoshi…You're not a coward." She smiled at him weakly, his declaration of love filtering through her brain. His hand felt warm in hers; it felt as if it belonged there. "I'm more of a coward than you." She looked up at him earnestly, "I've always loved you. But I never told you. And I don't mean like a little crush. I've always loved you with all of my heart."

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice sounded almost disbelieving; there was a hint of uncertainty, something Misao had never heard from him before.

"I was afraid. I never thought you'd love me like that. So I never said anything. I was afraid you would just laugh at me…" She looked back down at the pattern on the couch, her long bangs hiding her face.

"Never. I would never laugh at you." His thumb ran across the back of her hand, her skin smooth beneath it. "I was afraid too."

Then she looked up again, an incredibly cute smile on her face. Her arms were suddenly around his neck, her head against his chest. He was startled by this for a moment, then relaxed into the embrace, burying his face in the top of her hair. "I want to be with you forever, Misao. I want to be with you, but I don't deserve you. You should have so much better than me."

"But you're what I want, Aoshi. You've always taken care of me. You're a wonderful man and I love you. No one could be better than you." She could feel his heart pounding. He was incredibly nervous. But what did he have to be nervous about…?

"Can…" He began, then he stopped, looking pensive for a moment. Then he continued on again, "Can I kiss you?"

Her heart hammered wildly against her chest as he leaned towards her, drawing her face up to his. His lips met hers in an extremely chaste kiss, as if he were afraid of scaring her off by kissing her. _This simply will not do…_She forced his lips apart, her tongue sliding into his mouth. 

His cool eyes widened, then closed as he accepted her passionate side. _Oh, she is daring…But when has she ever been one to think before acting? That's all part of what makes my Misao who she is and I love her for it…_His strong arms wrapped around her; he pulled her closer as he intensified the kiss. _So this is the love I avoided for so long…_

***

Katsu pulled on his jacket. Ren had just left his apartment and he figured he would go down to the studio to do a little work. He hadn't painted anything all day and he had some ideas in mind. Plus work would take his thoughts off other things. Other people…

__

Ren…She's all I think about these days. I want to get closer to her; to kiss away those tears. She doesn't deserve any of this shit. She needs some one who won't ever hurt her, some one who will treat her like a queen.

Some one like me.

Holy shit; what am I thinking?

He locked the door to his apartment and wandered down the hall to the lobby. _I don't want to get caught up in a serious relationship…Do I? All the commitment…Can I do that? I've never been into commitment and Ren needs some one dedicated to her. _

Going out the door, he passed a man coming in. Bleach-blond hair, a pair of round, John Lennon sunglasses, a deep frown on his face. _Funny, I've never seen him around before…Oh well. I don't know everybody here. _

He hurried down the street, wrapping his coat tighter around him. It had started snowing at some point and there was a nip to the air. _This weather…I -Oof! _He had suddenly crashed into some one.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." He looked up, meeting the gaze of…Was that a man or a woman? Pale, pretty face; rich velvety brown eyes; short, dull hair framing that pretty face. 

"It's okay. I wasn't paying attention either…Had a lot on my mind." A wan smile crossed his face. It was definitely a man. The voice gave it away. He was bundled in a pale gray corduroy jacket and purple scarf. Pretty, yes. But definitely a man.

"Well…Take care." Katsu nodded a farewell and shuffled down the street, eager to get inside and paint.

***

"Aunt Ren?"

"Yeah, Yutaro?" Ren looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting the brilliant sapphire gaze of her nephew. He was frowning deeply, his thin eyebrows knit together. She wondered what was up with him; why he was looking so upset.

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, can't the police help you? This guy…Is he really that big and tough?" He pushed his bangs out of his eyes, looking intently up at her.

"I'm fine, Kiddo." She forced a smile. "How about you set the table? Can you manage that?"

He scowled, knowing she was avoiding the subject. "I'm fine. I think I can handle setting a table, even with my bad arm." He snapped.

"Okay…Don't get so defensive. I wasn't even thinking about your arm. I didn't mean to insult you." She sighed, lifting the cover off a pot of rice to check if it was finished cooking.

Yutaro instantly felt bad. This was Ren, not the maid, not his father and not Yahiko. Of course she wasn't thinking about his arm. She believed in him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you…" He said slowly as he began to dig around in the silverware drawer.

"It's okay." She reassured him, "Sometimes people just lose patience. That's perfectly okay. And I know people make things hard for you because of your arm. But I would never do that."

"I know." He strained to reach up into the cupboard for plates and glasses, a task which was somewhat difficult when one only had one decent arm. "I -Oh, hey, some one's at the door."

"You finish up. I'll see who's there." She crept over to the door, warily peering through the peephole. Then her eyes widened and she whirled around, "Yutaro, listen carefully…Turn the stove off. Then go into my room, lock the door and call the police." She said as quietly as possible, "There's going to be trouble."

***

"Now Kenji, don't splash Daddy." Kenshin wiped soap suds off of his face and pushed his damp hair from his eyes. Little Kenji was in the bathtub, splashing happily, laughing with a deep, satisfied chuckle. Bathing Kenji was like a wet monsoon. 

Kaoru stood in the bathroom doorway, laughing as she observed the puddles on the floor, her happy son and her soggy husband. It was like this every time Kenshin was the one to give the boy a bath. And it never failed to amuse her.

But her mind wandered and she found herself thinking about Ren. _This, _she told herself, _is what Ren deserves. She needs some one who she can grow old with, some one who loves her above all other things. When I think of all the things I've been through and I think of the things she's been through only recently…None of this seems so bad any more._

"Time to get out now, Kenji." 

Kaoru snapped back to reality as her son tried squirming away from his father. Getting Kenji out of the tub was extremely difficult. He loved being in the water and screamed and cried when he had to get out. 

She watched as Kenshin pulled the squirming child from the tub and wrapped him in a towel. The little boy was crying, pouting, yawning all at the same time. Kenshin toweled him off, causing his downy hair to stick up all over the place. Then he snuggled him into another towel and looked up at Kaoru, the baby cuddled against his shoulder. "He's sleepy; that he is."

"Well let's get him into his pajamas and put him to bed." She smiled almost deviously, "Then we can be alone together."

His violet eyes widened, then he smiled at what she was suggesting. He nodded in agreement, following her from the room. _This time, Kenji, I win_.

***

Sojiro was scurrying down the sidewalk, in a hurry to get out of the snow. Precipitation only served to remind him of that night his "family" had been killed and he had met Shishio. He would always be grateful for everything Shishio had taught him -for it had made him strong and helped him survive- but not every one could live like that.

Ren would not survive.

Shishio was not what she needed and Sojiro knew it. Kamatari could help her. Kamatari could make Ren feel good about herself without belittling her or bruising her fragile ego. The young man didn't want to see another person suffer the way he had. Ren needed something that Shishio couldn't give her. She needed some one that would love her.

__

Kamatari can help her. I'm sure he can. He loves her so much…I've never seen love like that before, but what I saw in his eyes yesterday…Maybe he doesn't even realize it. He thinks he's gay. He thinks he's in love with Mr. Shishio, but I've never seen anything like what I saw yesterday. He loves her.

I've got to tell him.

He looked up, taking in the people bustling around him. Happy people, preparing for the holidays. People who didn't have a care in the world. None of them knew…All they saw was the black and white of life. Never the shades of gray in between.

Sojiro sighed. Life was too complicated.

***

Kamatari was pacing back and forth outside Ren's building. He still hadn't found the courage to open the door and go in. He didn't know why he was so afraid, but he just could not open that door. Even when a young man with long, dark hair had come out and ran into him, his thoughts had all been on what he would say to Ren.

__

What's so hard about just opening the door and going in? I just want to talk to her. 

'She won't want to see you. She hates your nasty guts. She thinks you're a freak.' That pesky little voice argued.

__

Why are you being so damn mean to me? You **are **me. You shouldn't be insulting me like this…

'I'm only trying to prepare you for the cold hard truth. You're going to be damn sorry soon, boy. Ren isn't interested. It's gonna hurt like hell.' The voice became sing-song, taunting him, teasing him.

__

What is **that **supposed to mean? Are you suggesting that…?

'Bingo.'

__

Impossible. I'm gay, remember? G-A-Y; gay. There's no way…

'Oh, but there is, my friend. There is.' The voice concluded smugly.

__

I'm going insane…

He slumped down on the steps of the apartment. "I'm such a coward. I can't even go in there and talk to her. I'm so worried so what do I do? I get in an argument with myself…This is-"

He stopped speaking at the sound of police sirens. A couple of cop cars came screeching down the street, squealing to a stop in front of the building. Police officers swarmed up the steps, nearly trampling the dejected man.

"Don't let him get away this time!" A tall, familiar-looking man barked. Kamatari recognized him as the police chief, Saito Hajime. "I'm sick of getting calls from that woman and having nothing to show for it." 

"Right, Chief." The men swarmed into the building, leaving Kamatari in a daze on the steps.

__

What the…? REN! Ren's in trouble…Her ex…He must be here! Oh, Ren! I'm coming! He leapt to his feet and tore into the building.

***

"Please don't…" Ren was huddled on the floor, sobbing, her hands over her head, "Don't hurt me any more. I can't take this…"

"But it's so _fun_." He laughed lightly, his powerful fingers running across the top of her head. His teasing action caused her to shiver. She still remembered why she had been attracted to him in the first place; his sensual touch was one reason. "You know you like it, Ren. You know you do. You still love me and we both know it."

She looked up, her hazel gaze resting on his face, taking in that taunting smile, the one sky blue eye that was opened and focused on her. "No…" She shook her head slightly, tears trickling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

His fingers found their way to her chin, lifting her face so he could get a better look at her. His other eye slid open and a sly smile crossed his face. "I remember when ya weren't afraid of me. What happened? You finding' things in me undesirable, Sweetheart?" 

"Please…Chô, you don't want to do this!" She gasped desperately, "You don't-"

"Let her go!" Yutaro had come running out of the bedroom, brandishing an alarm clock. He swung his good arm back, lobbing the timepiece at Chô's head. "Leave her alone!"

Chô ducked, throwing Ren back to the floor and advancing towards the boy. He scooted back, looking for something else to throw. _Ren needs to get out of her…It's more important that she's okay. I'm just a spoiled brat. The world would be better off without me. But Ren…She makes a difference._

"Yutaro!" Ren shrieked as the deranged man grabbed for him. 

The boy sidestepped, dodging out of Chô's grasp and running to the door. He flung it open, finding himself face-to-face with a few police officers. "All right! You're in trouble now!" He stuck out his tongue, running over to Ren's side, "You okay, Aunt Ren?"

"I've been better…" She looked up at him, "I'm so proud of you, Kiddo."

"I had to do something." He hugged her. 

"Ren! Ren, are you okay?" Kamatari pushed past the policemen swarming the room. She was huddled on the floor, her face streaked with tears and blood trickling from a small cut on her forehead. A skinny boy was hugging her protectively, his face also wet with tears.

"Kamatari…? What are you doing here?" She blinked, trying to sift through the evening's events. Then she burst into tears, burying her face in her hands. Yutaro hugged her tighter and Kamatari smiled sadly. 

"It's going to be okay now. They got him. You don't have to worry." He said softly. He brushed back her hair, and she looked up, a trace of a smile on her face.

"Thank you."

"Any time."


	9. Chapter 7

"Urgh…" Kamatari rubbed his neck as he awoke. He had fallen asleep on Ren's couch the previous night. Sitting up while one is sleeping had proven to be rather painful. _When did I fall asleep? Have I been here all night…? And Ren…Ugh. What happened? _Sitting up, the man winced in pain. _The cops took him away…She sat there on the floor crying for so long and I just held her and listened to her…Then she went to bed and I sat here…_

"Hey, Dude…Did you sleep there all night?" 

Kamatari looked up. Yutaro was in the doorway, peeling a banana. He was dressed in flannel pants and an old sweatshirt, his feet bare and his feathery hair tousled. He blinked his sapphire eyes, regarding the disheveled man critically.

"…Yes." Kamatari groaned. He stood up, stretching and cracking his back. "I wanted to make sure Ren was okay after you went to sleep. Guess I just sort of dropped off." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "You don't mind, do you, Big Guy?"

The boy crammed the last of his banana into his mouth and chewed it, still staring at the man. He swallowed, a frown crossing his face. "You're some sort of fag, aren't you?"

The man's eyes widened and he looked sad for a moment. "You shouldn't say things like that, Kiddo. It's really mean. Words like that are painful…" He thought back to the time when he told Ren. One of the more hateful things she'd said…

"Well, it's true, isn't it? You like men." The boy blinked again, his head tilted to one side. 

"What if I do? It's not like I can give you gay or something. Either you are or you aren't." He ran his fingers through his hair, causing it to stick up slightly in the front.

Yutaro said nothing, just regarded him disdainfully. He wasn't sure why exactly he was so bothered by Kamatari. He actually thought the man was quite pretty. If he didn't know for a fact that Kamatari _was_ a man, he would have thought he was a woman. He had come to take care of Ren and he had been nice to them both…"I'm sorry…" He looked at his feet.

"It's okay. I just don't want you to get the wrong idea of me. I hate ignorant people who don't know what they're dealing with." He patted the seat beside him, "C'mere, Kiddo."

The boy cautiously made his way across the room, depositing the banana peel in a wastebasket on the way. "What's your name?"

"Kamatari. You're Ren's nephew, right? I remember when you were born…She was all excited. She wanted to spoil you rotten and she was only sixteen."

"Yeah, I'm Yutaro. You've known Aunt Ren that long?" He settled himself on the end of the couch, a pillow on his lap.

"Sure. We went to school together. We were friends, but we lost touch after a while…Had a sort of falling out." He smiled sadly, "I missed her a lot."

"She's kinda a loner. Aunt Ren doesn't usually let people help her out with stuff. But she's real good to me. She doesn't treat me like a little brat like most people do. And she doesn't even think about my arm at all. People always say I can't do stuff because of it."

"What happened to your arm? I mean, if you don't mind my asking…" Kamatari had noticed the boy's arm hanging limply at his side and it had made him immensely curious. What had happened to him?

"I hurt it." The boy replied simply, "A couple years ago. I was ten and I hurt my arm. Dad thinks I'm an invalid because of it. Every one at school picks on me. But Aunt Ren doesn't care." He paused, "Sooo…You got a boyfriend or something?"

"Nah. There's a guy I like, but he's not interested. Plus, he's got a girl already."

"Oh. You like Aunt Ren a lot, huh?"

"Sure. She's real nice. I don't understand how any one could not like her." A smile crossed his face, "She's got this charisma…"

"There're a lot of people who don't like her. The building super, Sano, he's pretty mean to her since she complains to him about stuff a lot. And some of the other teachers at school…They hate how she teaches. She gets away with a lot since she and Principal Okita are friends. And, well, the guy who was here last night…He certainly didn't seem to like her."

"Maybe he liked her too much." Kamatari suggested, drawing his knees up to his chest.

"It was kinda scary…She told me to go in the bedroom and not come out. I called 911 and just kinda sat there for a while…But I couldn't let anything happen to her. She's really the only person besides my mom who ever really cared about me. And my mom is gone now, so I need Aunt Ren…" The boy's words died on his lips and he looked at the pale green shag carpeting.

"Your mom is…gone?"

"She died when I was a baby. I don't even remember her. But I know she loved me a lot." Yutaro looked back up, "I look a lot like her. Maybe Dad doesn't like me because of that. He didn't really know how to take care of me, so he bought me a lot of toys and left me with the nanny a lot. He was always gone away on business. Dad never wanted kids anyway. Every one at school thinks I'm a jerk because of the way I grew up and the way I act."

"I don't think you're a jerk. I think you're brave for what you did last night. I'm sure you made Ren very proud of you."

"You think so?" A self-satisfied smile crossed the boy's face, "Maybe I did." He paused for a moment, "What are you doing here anyway? You just kinda came out of nowhere last night."

"I was coming to see Ren. We saw each other for the first time in ten years a couple of days ago. I guess it was just good timing, huh?"

"Guess so. I -oh, the door. You answer it. You're a lot bigger 'n I am."

"How am I supposed to know if it's some one Ren knows or not?" Kamatari looked doubtfully at the child, "I don't know any of her friends or any one who lives here."

Yutaro sighed as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. "Fine." He heaved himself out of the seat, "I'll look through the peephole. But you still have to open the door." He crossed the room stealthily and peered through the hole. "It's the guy across the hall. You can let him in."

"All right, all right." Kamatari undid the deadbolt, slid the chain out of the lock and opened the door.

***

"Kenshin! Kenshin, wake up!" 

"What's wrong…?" Kaoru was shaking him in an attempt to rouse him. He looked over at the clock beside the bed. It was eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. Something had to be wrong for her to wake him so early. "Did something happen to Kenji?!" He bolted up, then wide awake.

"No. Kenji's fine. Look at this!" She thrust a newspaper under his nose.

He took it in his hands and his amethyst gaze followed her finger to a certain spot on the page. "Oh my…All this happened last night and we didn't even know. Poor Ren." 

"We were to busy-"

"We'll have to go down and see how she is later." Kenshin cut her off, looking up at her, "She must have been terrified. At least now she can get on with her life." He glanced back at the newsprint, "Look, it mentions her nephew here. He's your student, isn't he?"

"Yeah. One of the ones who's always causing trouble too. I'm sure on Monday the whole class will here about how he saved the day." She rolled her eyes.

"Nanashi steadfastly refused to go to the emergency room for treatment to a wound on her forehead." Kenshin read aloud, "A friend had shown up at her apartment during the commotion and offered to look after the distraught woman. Her injury wasn't serious and no harm was done to her apartment." The paper crinkled as he moved it aside and looked up at his wife, "I wasn't aware she had any friends; that I was not."

"Neither was I. She's always by herself, minding her own business. She's never mentioned any friends or acquaintances before."

"We'll go see her later on." Kenshin stretched, pushing back the blankets, "I might as well get up now. Is Kenji still asleep?"

"He's-"

"Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Maaaaa!" Kenji's little voice sang down the hall.

"-Awake now." Kaoru finished with a sigh, "I'd better go get him dressed." She bent to kiss her husband on the cheek, then disappeared from the room.

***

Aoshi stood in the doorway of Misao's room, debating over whether or not he should wake her up. He had just read about Ren in the paper and he knew that was something that would trouble Misao deeply. She loved Ren; the woman was her favorite teacher and the only one who could get her interested in school.

But he also knew that Misao was not an early riser. To wake her now had potential to be suicide. It would be better in the long run to have her angry later because he didn't wake her than to have her angry _now _for waking her.

Sighing heavily, he closed the door. _I don't want her angry at me, not right now. Last night was rather daring on my part. I'm sure I made her happy, but is it the right thing?_

She's ten years younger than I am. She's still in school. Can this work? I do love her and I'd like to marry her some day. But she should go to college before then. She's smart. She should get more of an education. She doesn't want to…but what will she do if she doesn't?

Maybe I shouldn't have done that last night. Maybe I made a HUGE mistake. God, I'm hopeless.

He flopped down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. _This is where I told her, right here on this couch. She was sitting there and I just…told her. She didn't even believe me at first. Oh Misao…Of course I love you. You're gorgeous, you're headstrong and you're everything I need to be happy._

***

Katsuhiro awoke to find himself in the shabby recliner in his studio. He had been painting furiously, taken a break, and fallen asleep. He hadn't wanted to stay there all night. His plans had been to get some work done, then see if Ren wanted to go get something to eat.

He rubbed his sore neck as he rose from the seat. Sleeping like that was not comfortable in anyway. He switched on the light, wandering to the front room of the gallery. The picture window gave him a view of the street outside. Everything was dusted with snow. The world outside was positively beautiful.

__

Guess I'd better get home. He put away his brushes and paints, pulled his coat from the back of his chair and switched off the light again. A few people bustled by as he locked the door. There was a nip in the air and everything was frosty.

"Hey, Katsu!"

"Sano?" He turned at the sound of his best friend's voice. The other man was hurrying towards him, pushing his hair from his eyes, his jacket flapping open.

"Where were you all night, man? Have you seen the paper yet? You missed a hell of a lot of excitement last night!" Sanosuke stopped, looking at his friend.

"What happened?"

"Trouble with Ren. That guy came back again. Yutaro was at Ren's and he called the cops. Saito was sniffing around…They got him this time!"

"Ren? Is she okay? Did anything happen to her?" Katsu's eyes widened and he grabbed the newspaper from his friend's hand. He scanned the article quickly, reading it over at lightning speed. "Dammit! I should have been there!"

"Chill out. She's fine. But if you want to stay on her good side, you'd better go see her. You know how chicks are about stuff like that."

"You're such an idiot. I'm not trying to get into her bed. I really like her. Some of us have more noble intentions than just sleeping with a girl."

"Hey! What are you trying to say? I've been chasing after the foxy doctor for a long time, but she doesn't seem to be interested."

Katsu snorted. "Of course she's not interested. You're a common thug. She's a successful doctor. She's probably got a million rich men falling at her feet."

"Thanks a lot." Sano replied dryly, "You're such a wonderful friend, you jerk. I don't think she's that far out of my league. Megumi's no saint, ya know."

"Yeah. But anyway, I'd better get going. See ya, Sano." 

He hurried off down the street, thoughts of Ren jumbling his mind. _Ren, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you; sorry any of this had to happen. I'm gonna make it up to you. I promise…_

He pulled open the door and hurried through the lobby. Down the hall…He stopped between his door and Ren's. Looked at his watch. It was late enough in the morning for Ren to be up. So he knocked on the door. A few moments later, it was opened.

By a man.

***

Sojiro was pacing nervously in his small loft apartment. What had happened the night before? He'd been on his way to see Kamatari, but no one had answered the door. So he'd headed back for home when all these police cars went flying by. 

He'd receded back into the shadows of an alley. The police were not on friendly terms with the young man; not at all. He'd caused them grief in the past, always getting in trouble. Saito especially disliked him and made it a point to grill him about the deaths of his foster family when he was just a child. It was as if he had suspected the boy of fowl play.

Sojiro shook his head to get his dark hair out of his eyes. He was worried. Suppose something had happened to Miss Ren? He remembered her from high school. She'd never been his teacher, but he and the weasel girl, Misao, had been friends and Misao worshipped Miss Ren. The woman was nice enough; she didn't deserve any of the crap she put up with.

__

I should try Kamatari again. This would be so much easier if he didn't have an unlisted phone number. But something deep down inside is making me worried. Something happened last night and it wasn't good. Something…

He grabbed his coat from the hook by the door. _I'll go out for some breakfast, then stop by at Kamatari's apartment. He should be home. It's Saturday morning; there's nowhere he could be gone to now._

***

Ren curled up tighter under her blankets, wishing to never get up. Her head throbbed where she had gotten that gash the night before. It was a cold, dreary day. Watery sunlight filtered through her drawn curtains. Her room was cold and dark. 

__

I thought I was going to die last night. She pulled a pillow over her head, blocking out the sliver of sunlight. _I thought he would kill me. I'm lucky Yutaro was here. And Kamatari…Even after I treated him so horribly all those years ago he still wants to be my friend. I'm such a jerk…_

I wonder if he spent the night…I should probably get up. Yutaro is here after all. I can't just ignore him, can I? She removed the pillow from her head and pushed herself up off her stomach. 

Crawling slowly off the bed, she reached for her bathrobe where it lay in a heap on the floor. She stumbled towards the door as she fastened the belt around her waist. Her arm hurt and she knew a bruise had fanned out somewhere on the back of her leg. 

She poked her head into the guest room, which served as a bedroom for Yutaro when he spent the night. The boy wasn't there. She wandered down to the front room.

A tense atmosphere greeted her. Yutaro was flopped down on the couch, still in his pajamas. An amused expression lit his face and his sapphire eyes sparkled with laughter. Kamatari was indeed still there. He stood by the door, which was open, his hand raised to the knob. Staring at him from the hallway, a suspicious look plastered across his face, was Katsuhiro.


End file.
